WATCH: Women Say, “This Is My Body”

I learned about this video this morning from watching the start of Melissa Harris-Perry’s show on MSNBC. In the wake of Rep. Todd Akin’s magical thinking about the abortive capabilities of the female body in instances of”legitimate” rape, this video is very timely. Even moreso, because the GOP’s war on women is real. As someone who has a mother, a wife, a daughter and a son, I have a vested interest in seeing that all women have fair and equal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. As it relates to my son, it’s important to instill these values in him, so he doesn’t grow up thinking that, as a man, he’ll get to control women’s bodies.

Do I need to be any clearer as to where I and Bold As Love Magazine net out on a woman’s right to choose? Before, we get into the video, it’s worth noting a recent article in The Nation by Emily Douglas–“Does It Matter Why Women Have Abortions?”–which starts with this graphic:

Women have the right to choose everything that relates to their bodies and their lives. And, we, as men, need to stand with them and support that. Period. See? Life isn’t complicated.

Except that right-wing and religious nutjobs think otherwise. Which bring us to this video. According to the Facebook page for the video:

“This Is My Body” is a women’s rights advocacy video created in response to the attacks on women’s health and reproductive rights that have occurred throughout 2012. The video addresses those issues along with abortion, body image, cancer, fair pay, and a number of other important issues affecting women today.

You can read an interview with the filmmaker Jason Stefaniak over on the Feminspire blog, where he shared his moment of realization: “I realized, why haven’t so many other men spoken up on these issues before?” Stefaniak says in an exclusive interview. “We need to show our support for women who are fighting these issues.”